Who Invited the Dead Man? (Thoroughly Southern Mysteries, No. 3)

Except for the first two books, I have read all of Patricia Sprinkle's Thoroughly Southern Mystery series to date and have loved each one. The stories envelop the reader in the cozy comfort of visiting with old friends, without ever letting them overstay their welcome. Each book reveals something new about returning favorites and introduces enough new friends, family members, and villains to keep things fresh and interesting. The mysteries are clever, intriguing, complex. The setting is rich in the regional flavors, customs, and manners of the small-town South, but never at the expense of other cultures or groups of people. This series never disappoints. I hope Signet will one day offer BUT WHY SHOOT THE MAGISTRATE? and WHEN DID WE LOSE HARRIET? in the same style as the rest of the series so my collection may be complete.

any mystery lover knows how hard it is to find an author who can fool you. well, patricia sprinkle can fool her readers completely. in addition to a first-rate plot, there are well-drawn characters, sprinkle's wonderful turns of phrases--the woman can write--good dialogue, and realistic responses to situations. i enjoyed this book a lot, but i'm giving it four stars instead of five because it will probably not end up in my permanent collection, as sharyn mccrumb and margaret maron, for two examples, automatically do. however, i will be loaning it out with an enthusiastic recommendation to all my mystery-reading friends.

While growing up, Nancy Drew was always my heroine. Although about my age she seemed so much more clever and independent than I. Her relationship with her friends, her car, everything about her was interesting. All in all she was a great role model for negotiating those adolescent years. And she was so good at the business of detecting. She made me a life long mystery reader! Now that I am of an age where AARP is looking for me, I have found my new Nancy Drew in the character of MacLaren Yarbrough. She is such an interesting woman with a great zest for life. Never preachy (or almost never), she yet stands out as a shining light of mature womanhood. She bears the responsibilities which come with age so well that the word burden becomes the word challenge. She makes being a mature citizen a very proud thing indeed. And the best part for an avid mystery reader is that she really gets involved in some very interesting murders and very cleverly works out the mysteries which lie behind them. Who Invited The Dead Man? is a wonderful book - read it yourself and get copies for your mystery reading friends. They will love MacLaren Yarbrough and the mystery she solves. Oh, yes, I should add that even the current Nancy Drew fans will enjoy the Southern comfort and charm of this book. This is a mystery which can be savored by all!

Judge MacLaren Yarbrough has her hands full running Yarbrough's Feed, Seed, and Nursery, managing her magisterial duties, keeping care of her home and taking care of her husband Joe Riddley. Joe is recovering from a head injury and has to relearn how to care for himself as well as read and write. His memory is cloudy and he is prone to violent episodes.To show their support for Joe, two hundred people come to his birthday party and he enjoyed it as much as a kid would. Only a very few knew that in the house was the body of a dead man, shot to death by a bullet to his head. The sheriff conspired with MacLaren to keep it quiet until the guests left and they succeeded. Once the investigation got underway, MacLaren does her best to find out who the killer is and to prove to the authorities that Joe had nothing to do with it.Patricia Sprinkles has created a complex mystery with many viable suspects who had ample reason to see the victim dead. Life in a small southern town where everyone knows their neighbor and a stranger sticks out is seen as a positive thing. The heartache of living with someone who has undergone severe brain trauma is shown in agonizing detail and readers can't help but empathize with the protagonist for caring for her man.Harriet Klausner